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City of Kardavous
Modern-day Kardavos is located on the western coast of the Black Sea, near the southern border of Romanian (in the approximate location of real-world Shabla Province in Bulgaria). During the Medieval period, this region was heavily occupied by northern-drifting Greek nationals, and has maintained a VERY strong Grecian influence since then. Kardavos is a small, independent country very similar to Monaco, its economy managing well due mostly to tourism and the export of fine goods (gourmet viands, handcrafted items and the like). It is well-known for its vast libraries and rare ancient book collections in academic circles, dating from the late Roman period all the way up to the end of the Dark Ages. Tourism for Kardavos has a long history in the region; the Black Sea beaches of the area are a well-known and favored location for decades, and in fact have begun to garner world-wide interest in recent years. The area on grid is actually the ‘Old Quarter’ of Kardavos; the modern city has expanded beyond this area, with the government and other public buildings (with exception of the ‘public library’) being in the modern areas of the city. The ruling family’s ancestral villa is located in the Old Quarter, as well as the original library of the town. The library is considered ‘public’ insofar as access allowed to citizens and interested individuals for academic research, but the Dasios family had maintained ownership of the building and all written materials since the founding of the library in the late 1330’s. This ownership has continued and been passed to the new ruling Stamatis family. Interesting facts that locals would be aware of: * There are no churches within the city limits of Kardavos. * The Dasios family ruled/maintained strong political ties in the area for hundreds of years. Local lore has it that they have ruled since before Kardavos was known by its current name. Traditionally, the eldest daughter/female of the family has ruled, sometimes with a male co-ruler. With the passing of the last of the Dasios' line, however, the ruling has passed to the Stamatis family, and changes to the traditions may soon be coming. * The ancient name of the city was Theapoli – which loosely translates from Greek to mean ‘city of mother’ or ‘mother’s city’. Some scholars argue for an ancient matrilineal/earth goddess worship, but others scoff at this. * The previous ruler, Sebastios Dasios, reigned for 7 years, having taken the throne after his mother’s death in late 2007 of breast cancer. He had no siblings, was known to be something of a playboy activist in addition to his 'royal' duties and was unwed. Falling to the same unfortunate illness as his mother, he fought an aggressive cancer that doctors were unable to help him with, and with great sadness, his passing was announced in July 2014. * The current ruler is Zachary Stamatis, belonging to a family that had ties to Dasios for countless of generations. It is said that at one point, the head of the Stamatis family gained the favor and love of the sister to Queen Baltira during her reign in the Dark Ages, and it is this tie that allowed the rule of Kardavos to pass on to Zachary Stamatis as a direct descendant.